Fibrosis is a major complication of chronic inflammation, as seen in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two forms of inflammatory bowel diseases. To elucidate inflammatory signals that regulate fibrosis, we investigated gene expression changes underlying chronic inflammation and fibrosis in trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced murine colitis. Six weekly 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid...

Past studies have shown that colonic patches, which are the gut-associated lymphoreticular tissues (GALT) in the colon, become much more pronounced in hapten-induced murine colitis, and this was associated with Th2-type T cell responses. To address the role of GALT in colonic inflammation, experimental colitis was induced in mice either lacking organized GALT or with altered GALT structures. Tr...

Intravenous injection of 0.01 mM 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-derivatized syngeneic lymphoid cells generates a Thy-1-positive, antigen-specific suppressor cell for contact sensitivity which requires an I-J allogeneic effect to become fully activated. It is necessary and sufficient for all allogeneic effect to be directed solely against the suppressor cell, and once activated, the cell ca...

Anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive properties of endocannabinoids and synthetic cannabinoid compounds were described previously. We studied effects of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (N-arachidonylethanolamine) in experimental colitis induced by TNBS (2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid) in AKR mice. A scoring system was used to describe clinical and macroscopic changes. Intraperitone...

We performed this study to develop a reliable method for inducing colitis in rats using 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) to reduce the variation in ulcer size. A pair of ring forceps was used to clamp the colon and 0.1 M TNBS in ethanol was injected into the luminal side of the clamped portion. This method resulted in a small coefficient of variation of the ulcer index. A significant ...